I en längre text i Washington Post beskriver John McCain sin syn på den hårda politiska dialogen. Det är ett stöd till Palin (även om hennes namn aldrig nämns) och ett tack till Obama. McCain är senator från Arizona och var på plats under [...]]]>

I en längre text i Washington Post beskriver John McCain sin syn på den hårda politiska dialogen. Det är ett stöd till Palin (även om hennes namn aldrig nämns) och ett tack till Obama. McCain är senator från Arizona och var på plats under minnesstunden.

I disagree with many of the president’s policies, but I believe he is a patriot sincerely intent on using his time in office to advance our country’s cause. I reject accusations that his policies and beliefs make him unworthy to lead America or opposed to its founding ideals. And I reject accusations that Americans who vigorously oppose his policies are less intelligent, compassionate or just than those who support them.

Rachel Maddow tar i inslaget nedan upp två märkliga saker kring vapen i USA. Både Bush och Obama är i princip överens när det gäller vapenlagar men restriktionerna som båda förespråkat som president kommer inte bli verklighet inom någon överskådlig framtid. Och hon tar upp en annan [...]]]>

Rachel Maddow tar i inslaget nedan upp två märkliga saker kring vapen i USA. Både Bush och Obama är i princip överens när det gäller vapenlagar men restriktionerna som båda förespråkat som president kommer inte bli verklighet inom någon överskådlig framtid. Och hon tar upp en annan märklig sak som rör Tea Partys syn på vapen och konstitutionen. Se hela inslaget nedan:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Flera opinionsundersökningar visar nu att Obama efter några viktiga politiska framgångar strax innan nyår blivit populärare. Han har nu runt 50 % i approval rating i flera nya undersökningar.

Gallup 1/9-11/11 [...]]]>

Flera opinionsundersökningar visar nu att Obama efter några viktiga politiska framgångar strax innan nyår blivit populärare. Han har nu runt 50 % i approval rating i flera nya undersökningar.

Gallup 1/9-11/11 48-44
Quinnipiac 1/4-11/11 48-44
Ipsos/Reuters 1/7-10/11 50-47
AP-GfK 1/5-10/11 53-46

”To the families of those we’ve lost; to all who called them friends; to the students of this university, the public servants gathered tonight, and the people of Tucson and Arizona: I have come here tonight as an American who, like [...]]]>

”To the families of those we’ve lost; to all who called them friends; to the students of this university, the public servants gathered tonight, and the people of Tucson and Arizona: I have come here tonight as an American who, like all Americans, kneels to pray with you today, and will stand by you tomorrow.

There is nothing I can say that will fill the sudden hole torn in your hearts. But know this: the hopes of a nation are here tonight. We mourn with you for the fallen. We join you in your grief. And we add our faith to yours that Representative Gabrielle Giffords and the other living victims of this tragedy pull through.

As Scripture tells us:

‘There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,

the holy place where the Most High dwells.

God is within her, she will not fall;

God will help her at break of day.’

On Saturday morning, Gabby, her staff, and many of her constituents gathered outside a supermarket to exercise their right to peaceful assembly and free speech. They were fulfilling a central tenet of the democracy envisioned by our founders – representatives of the people answering to their constituents, so as to carry their concerns to our nation’s capital. Gabby called it “Congress on Your Corner” – just an updated version of government of and by and for the people.

That is the quintessentially American scene that was shattered by a gunman’s bullets. And the six people who lost their lives on Saturday – they too represented what is best in America.

Judge John Roll served our legal system for nearly 40 years. A graduate of this university and its law school, Judge Roll was recommended for the federal bench by John McCain twenty years ago, appointed by President George H.W. Bush, and rose to become Arizona’s chief federal judge. His colleagues described him as the hardest-working judge within the Ninth Circuit. He was on his way back from attending Mass, as he did every day, when he decided to stop by and say hi to his Representative. John is survived by his loving wife, Maureen, his three sons, and his five grandchildren.

George and Dorothy Morris – “Dot” to her friends – were high school sweethearts who got married and had two daughters. They did everything together, traveling the open road in their RV, enjoying what their friends called a 50-year honeymoon. Saturday morning, they went by the Safeway to hear what their Congresswoman had to say. When gunfire rang out, George, a former Marine, instinctively tried to shield his wife. Both were shot. Dot passed away.

A New Jersey native, Phyllis Schneck retired to Tucson to beat the snow. But in the summer, she would return East, where her world revolved around her 3 children, 7 grandchildren, and 2 year-old great-granddaughter. A gifted quilter, she’d often work under her favorite tree, or sometimes sew aprons with the logos of the Jets and the Giants to give out at the church where she volunteered. A Republican, she took a liking to Gabby, and wanted to get to know her better.

Dorwan and Mavy Stoddard grew up in Tucson together – about seventy years ago. They moved apart and started their own respective families, but after both were widowed they found their way back here, to, as one of Mavy’s daughters put it, “be boyfriend and girlfriend again.” When they weren’t out on the road in their motor home, you could find them just up the road, helping folks in need at the Mountain Avenue Church of Christ. A retired construction worker, Dorwan spent his spare time fixing up the church along with their dog, Tux. His final act of selflessness was to dive on top of his wife, sacrificing his life for hers.

Everything Gabe Zimmerman did, he did with passion – but his true passion was helping people. As Gabby’s outreach director, he made the cares of thousands of her constituents his own, seeing to it that seniors got the Medicare benefits they had earned, that veterans got the medals and care they deserved, that government was working for ordinary folks. He died doing what he loved – talking with people and seeing how he could help. Gabe is survived by his parents, Ross and Emily, his brother, Ben, and his fiancée, Kelly, who he planned to marry next year.

And then there is nine year-old Christina Taylor Green. Christina was an A-student, a dancer, a gymnast, and a swimmer. She often proclaimed that she wanted to be the first woman to play in the major leagues, and as the only girl on her Little League team, no one put it past her. She showed an appreciation for life uncommon for a girl her age, and would remind her mother, “We are so blessed. We have the best life.” And she’d pay those blessings back by participating in a charity that helped children who were less fortunate.

Our hearts are broken by their sudden passing. Our hearts are broken – and yet, our hearts also have reason for fullness.

Our hearts are full of hope and thanks for the 13 Americans who survived the shooting, including the congresswoman many of them went to see on Saturday. I have just come from the University Medical Center, just a mile from here, where our friend Gabby courageously fights to recover even as we speak. And I can tell you this – she knows we’re here and she knows we love her and she knows that we will be rooting for her throughout what will be a difficult journey. We are there for her.

And our hearts are full of gratitude for those who saved others. We are grateful for Daniel Hernandez, a volunteer in Gabby’s office who ran through the chaos to minister to his boss, tending to her wounds to keep her alive. We are grateful for the men who tackled the gunman as he stopped to reload. We are grateful for petite Patricia Maisch, who wrestled away the killer’s ammunition and undoubtedly saved some lives. And we are grateful for the doctors and nurses and first responders who worked wonders to heal those who’d been hurt.

These men and women remind us that heroism is found not only on the fields of battle. They remind us that heroism does not require special training or physical strength. Heroism is here, all around us, in the hearts of so many of our fellow citizens, just waiting to be summoned, as it was on Saturday.

Their actions, their selflessness, poses a challenge to each of us. It raises the question of what, beyond prayers and expressions of concern, is required of us going forward. How can we honor the fallen? How can we be true to their memory?

You see, when a tragedy like this strikes, it is part of our nature to demand explanations, to try to impose some order on the chaos, and make sense out of that which seems senseless. Already we’ve seen a national conversation commence, not only about the motivations behind these killings, but about everything from the merits of gun safety laws to the adequacy of our mental health systems. And much of this process, of debating what might be done to prevent such tragedies in the future, is an essential ingredient in our exercise of self-government.

But at a time when our discourse has become so sharply polarized – at a time when we are far too eager to lay the blame for all that ails the world at the feet of those who happen to think differently than we do – it’s important for us to pause for a moment and make sure that we’re talking with each other in a way that heals, not a way that wounds.

Scripture tells us that there is evil in the world, and that terrible things happen for reasons that defy human understanding. In the words of Job, ‘when I looked for light, then came darkness.’ Bad things happen, and we have to guard against simple explanations in the aftermath.

For the truth is that none of us can know exactly what triggered this vicious attack. None of us can know with any certainty what might have stopped these shots from being fired, or what thoughts lurked in the inner recesses of a violent man’s mind.

Yes, we must examine all the facts behind this tragedy. We cannot and will not be passive in the face of such violence. We should be willing to challenge old assumptions in order to lessen the prospects of violence in the future.

But what we can’t do is use this tragedy as one more occasion to turn on each other. That we cannot do. As we discuss these issues, let each of us do so with a good dose of humility. Rather than pointing fingers or assigning blame, let’s use this occasion to expand our moral imaginations, to listen to each other more carefully, to sharpen our instincts for empathy, and remind ourselves of all the ways that our hopes and dreams are bound together.

After all, that’s what most of us do when we lose someone in our family -– especially if the loss is unexpected. We’re shaken out of our routines, forced to look inward. We reflect on the past. Did we spend enough time with an aging parent, we wonder. Did we express our gratitude for all the sacrifices they made for us? Did we tell a spouse just how desperately we loved them, not just once in awhile but every single day?

So sudden loss causes us to look backward – but it also forces us to look forward, to reflect on the present and the future, on the manner in which we live our lives and nurture our relationships with those who are still with us. We may ask ourselves if we’ve shown enough kindness, generosity, compassion to the people in our lives. Perhaps we may question whether we are doing right by our children, our community, whether our priorities are in order. We recognize our own mortality; we are reminded that in our fleeting time on earth, what matters is not wealth, or status, or power, or fame -– but rather, how well we have loved, and what small part we have played in making the lives of other people better.

That process of reflection, of making sure we align our values with our actions – that, I believe, is what a tragedy like this requires. For those who were harmed, those who were killed – they are part of our family, an American family 300 million strong. We may not have known them personally, but surely we see ourselves in them. In George and Dot, in Dorwan and Mavy, we sense the abiding love we have for our own husbands, our own wives, our own life partners. Phyllis – she’s our mom or our grandma; Gabe, our brother or son. In Judge Roll, we recognize not only a man who prized his family and doing his job well, but also a man who embodied America’s fidelity to the law. And in Gabby, we see a reflection of our public spiritedness, that desire to participate in that sometimes frustrating, sometimes contentious, but always necessary and never-ending process to form a more perfect union.

And in Christina, in Christina we see all of our children. So curious, so trusting, so energetic, so full of magic. So deserving of our love.

And so deserving of our good example. If this tragedy prompts reflection and debate, as it should, let’s make sure it’s worthy of those we have lost. Let’s make sure it’s not on the usual plane of politics and point-scoring and pettiness that drifts away with the next news cycle.

The loss of these wonderful people should make every one of us strive to be better – to be better in our private lives, to be better friends and neighbors, co-workers and parents. And if, as has been discussed in recent days, their deaths help usher in more civility in our public discourse, let us remember that it is not because a simple lack of civility caused this tragedy, it did not, but rather because only a more civil and honest public discourse can help us face up to the challenges of our nation in a way that would make them proud.

We should be civil because we want to live up to the example of public servants like John Roll and Gabby Giffords, who knew first and foremost that we are all Americans, and that we can question each other’s ideas without questioning each other’s love of country, and that our task, working together, is to constantly widen the circle of our concern so that we bequeath the American dream to future generations.

They believe and I believe we can be better. Those who died here, those who saved lives here – they help me believe. We may not be able to stop all evil in the world, but I know that how we treat one another, that’s entirely up to us. And I believe that for all our imperfections, we are full of decency and goodness, and that the forces that divide us are not as strong as those that unite us.

That’s what I believe, in part because that’s what a child like Christina Taylor Green believed. Imagine, imagine here for a moment, a young girl who was just becoming aware of our democracy; just beginning to understand the obligations of citizenship; just beginning to glimpse that someday she too might play a part in shaping her nation’s future. She had been elected to her student council; she saw public service as something exciting, something hopeful. She was off to meet her congresswoman, someone she was sure was good and important and might be a role model. She saw all this through the eyes of a child, undimmed by the cynicism, vitriol that we adults all too often just take for granted.

I want to live up to her expectations. I want our democracy to be as good as Christina imagined it. I want America to be as good as she imagined it. All of us – we should do everything we can to make sure this country lives up to our children’s expectations.

This was already mentioned, Christina was given to us on September 11th, 2001, one of 50 babies born that day to be pictured in a book called “Faces of Hope.” On either side of her photo in that book were simple wishes for a child’s life. ‘I hope you help those in need,’ read one. ‘I hope you know all of the words to the National Anthem and sing it with your hand over your heart. I hope you jump in rain puddles.’

If there are rain puddles in heaven, Christina is jumping in them today. And here, on this Earth, we place our hands over our hearts, and we commit ourselves as Americans to forging a country that is forever worthy of her gentle, happy spirit.

May God bless and keep those we’ve lost in restful and eternal peace. May He love and watch over the survivors. And may He bless the United States of America.” (CNN)

SvD

President Obama håller just nu sitt tal med anhöriga till offren närvarande, Giffords man, läkare, politiker och vanliga medborgare från detta community i Tucson, Arizona. Tidigare under dagen besökte han Giffords på sjukhuset. Under besöket öppnade hon ögonen för första gången. [...]]]>

President Obama håller just nu sitt tal med anhöriga till offren närvarande, Giffords man, läkare, politiker och vanliga medborgare från detta community i Tucson, Arizona. Tidigare under dagen besökte han Giffords på sjukhuset. Under besöket öppnade hon ögonen för första gången.

Our hearts are full of hope and thanks for the 13 Americans who survived the shooting, including the congresswoman many of them went to see on Saturday. I have just come from the University Medical Center, just a mile from here, where our friend Gabby courageously fights to recover even as we speak.

And I can tell you this … Gabby opened her eyes for the first time.

Se hela talet här

DN

Obama bjöd på några väl valda ord om filibuster reform och en del annat intressant. Se själv:

På lördag kommer Jon Stewart och Steven Colbert att hålla Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear i The Mall i Washington DC. Evenemanget har fått stor uppmärksamhet och det är många liberala och progressiva grupper som hoppas på att rallyt kommer att lyfta de demokratiska [...]]]>

På lördag kommer Jon Stewart och Steven Colbert att hålla Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear i The Mall i Washington DC. Evenemanget har fått stor uppmärksamhet och det är många liberala och progressiva grupper som hoppas på att rallyt kommer att lyfta de demokratiska väljarnas entusiasm inför valet. Det sägs till och med att presidenten kommer att puffa för rallyt under veckan.

Men samtidigt hörs allt fler negativa röster från samma läger. Är det kanske så att rallyt i själva verket kommer att skada demokraterna? Det är två saker som oroar:

1. Stewart kommer inte att  hålla sig till ett budskap som är positivt för demokraterna. Det är en lågoddsare för alla som följer The Daily Show – Stewart delar ut smällar till både höger och vänster och det saknas verkligen inte anledningar att kritisera demokraterna.

Dessutom är bilden av manifestationen som ett politiskt evenemang skapad av andra än Comedy Central, som från första stund hävdat att det enbart handlar om komedi och ska ses som en live-version av de populära teveprogrammen.

2. Demokraterna förlorar en viktig kampanjdag. När jag pratar med ansvariga för volontärsaktiviteter i Maryland berättar de att det är svårt att rekrytera folk till den sista viktiga lördagen innan valet – alla säger att de ska på rallyt istället.

Det kan vara sant, men det är tveksamt om rallyt är den enda anledningen till att volontärerna sviker. Ju närmare valdagen vi kommer, desto mer centralsstyrs kampanjerna. Det innebär att många volontärer inför den sista helgen förväntas åka långa sträckor för att knacka dörr i områden där valdeltagandet förväntas bli lägre. Det har visat sig vara en smula svårsålt, rally eller inte.

Själv kommer jag att vara i The Mall på lördag, tillsammans med i princip alla jag känner i DC och en del inresta vänner. Foton och rapport kommer!

Obama hälsar på studenter i Madison, Wisconsin den 28 september 2010.
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Man får ofta höra i media att Obama inte är populär längre. Men är det så? Och vad jämför man då med?

Jämför man med [...]]]>

Obama hälsar på studenter i Madison, Wisconsin den 28 september 2010.
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Man får ofta höra i media att Obama inte är populär längre. Men är det så? Och vad jämför man då med?

Jämför man med siffrorna i januari 2009 då Obamas popularitet stod på topp har populariteten sjunkit kraftigt. Det är något som händer i princip alla presidenter. Då ville få säga att man var emot segraren i det historiska valet två månader tidigare. Hela 69 % av amerikanerna uppgav att man stödde Obama. Långt fler än som röstat på honom.

En mer intressant jämförelse är kanske med valresultatet 2008 (53 %) eller möjligtvis med tidigare presidenter vid samma tidpunkt vid makten. Eller med utvecklingen över senaste månaderna, då presidentens popularitet legat ganska stilla med en approval rating på runt 45 %.

Bilden blev precis än mer komplicerad då en ny undersökning i Newsweek visar att Obama har en approval rating på starka 54 %. Det ska dock noteras att Newsweeks undersökningar brukar luta mer åt demokraterna än många andra opinionsundersökningar. Men jämfört med föregående undersökning i september är det en stark uppgång från 48 %. Det är alltså i nivå med valresultatet 2008.

I en historisk jämförelse är det också normala siffror för en amerikansk president.

Det som kan vara en trend sedan förra månaden är kopplat till kongressvalen om några dagar. Nu intresserar sig många för valet och entusiasmen som varit låg bland demokraterna tidigare i år ser ut att stiga sakta. Det är säkert också en bidragande orsak till att Obama är något populärare igen. Under debatten kring sjukvårdsreformerna fanns starkt missnöje bland demokraternas väljare. Många ville gå längre genom tex en public option. Nu verkar många av demokraternas väljare ha hittat tillbaka, mer motiverade och sluter leden.

Hur långt den entusiasmen räcker på valdagen återstår att se. Entusiasmen väntas vara betydligt högre bland republikanerna.

DN skriver förresten lite om en annan märklig jämförelse, den med Bill Clinton.

En av alla de lokala folkomröstningar som fått uppmärksamhet i år är den om Proposition 23 i Kalifornien. Förslaget är att ogiltigförklara den Kaliforniska klimatlagstifningen från 2006, AB 32 Global Warming Solutions Act – eller rättare sagt inhibera lagen till dess att arbetslösheten i [...]]]>

En av alla de lokala folkomröstningar som fått uppmärksamhet i år är den om Proposition 23 i Kalifornien. Förslaget är att ogiltigförklara den Kaliforniska klimatlagstifningen från 2006, AB 32 Global Warming Solutions Act – eller rättare sagt inhibera lagen till dess att arbetslösheten i Kalifornen understiger 5,5 % fyra kvartal i rad. Något som med dagens arbetslöshet på 12 % kommer att ta lång tid och som bara har inträffat tre gånger sedan 1980.

Förespråkare av Proposition 23, som gärna kallar den ”California Jobs Initiative”, stöds finansiellt av bland andra de två Texasbaserade oljeföretagen Valero och Tesoro som vill skydda sina ekonomiska intressen. Valero har köpt annonser för 4 miljoner dollar, vilket Tesoro säger sig ha matchat. Tillsammans med andra donatorer har de samlat 16 miljoner dollar.

Men det är inte några miljöhippies som står i andra ringhörnan och kämpar mot ”Dirty Energy Proposition”. Bland bidragsgivarna som tillsammans samlat 15 miljoner dollar hittar vi ett antal investerare och finansiella aktörer som vill skydda sina investeringar i clean-tech. Största bidragsgivaren är fondförvaltaren Thomas Steyer som satsar 5 miljoner dollar. Andra kända namn är President Obama, Reagans secretary of state George Shultz och Bill Gates. Och Al Gore, så klart.

Förutom ekonomi är det en känslomässigt laddad fråga. Kalifornien ses av många som ett föredöme på miljöområdet och ett godkännande av 23:an skulle ge den bilden en rejäl törn. På samma sätt som bilden av Kalifornisk tolerans gentemot homosexuella fick sig en törn när Proposition 8 vann för två år sedan.

Avgående guvernör Schwarzenegger har tagit ställning mot propositionen:

”Does anyone really believe that these companies, out of the goodness of their black oil hearts, are spending millions and millions of dollars to protect jobs?”

”This is like Eva Braun writing a kosher cookbook. It’s not about jobs at all, ladies and gentlemen. It’s about their ability to pollute and thus protect their profits.”